Catechism Corner

Throughout the Bible, many promises are given to those who fear the Lord, such as Proverbs 22:4: “The fruit of humility is the fear of the Lord, riches and glory and life.” It is wise to be governed by a healthy fear of God!

The following disciplines will help you comprehend more of His greatness and more of your dependence on Him, thereby learning the fear of the Lord.

The rewards of developing the fear of the Lord are emphasized throughout Scripture. In fact, all the things a person would hope to find in the proverbial pot of gold come with humility and the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 22:4 states that “The fruit of humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches (honor) and glory and life.” Let us look at the abundant promises and rich reward for those who fear the Lord.

If we knew that all of our secret thoughts, words, and actions would be displayed publicly so that everyone could watch them and evaluate them, it would make a profound difference in the way we live! We have an instinctive concern about what others think of us and how they will judge the things we do.

If we have this much concern over what other men and women think of us and our actions, how much more should we be concerned about God’s evaluation of our thoughts, words, actions, attitudes, and motives?

What is Piety?

Put simply, piety is living a fruitful, obedient Christian life. It is one of the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit that, initially, is magnified in us at our confirmation. There are sixteen references to piety, (or godliness depending on which translation is being read), in Scripture. All of them are in the New Testament, and most of them occur in 1 Timothy and 2 Peter. Let’s examine what it is, what it’s not, its prerequisites, its barriers, and its potential influence in our lives. Then we’ll consider how to grow in godliness through personal application.

Fortitude is the inward strength to withstand stress to accomplish God’s best. Fortitude is associated with the physical stamina required for a race. However, the character quality of Fortitude is much deeper than physical stamina. It includes the strength that comes by rejoicing in the reproaches that come as we follow the ways of God.

It is described as, “to undergo hardship, to hold oneself up against, to put up with to endure with patience.”

To have fortitude is to tenaciously hold on until a goal is accomplished. Jacob clung to the angel and declared, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” God not only blessed him but affirmed, “Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel: for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shalt thou prevail against men?” (Genesis 32:28).

What is the seven fold grace of the Holy Ghost? And what are they used for in our Christian life?

The seven fold grace of the Holy Spirit that, initially, are magnified in us at our confirmation and are unique skills and abilities given by the Holy Spirit to faithful followers of Christ to serve God for the common benefit of his people, the Church. And for reaching others, out side of the Church, for Christ. The seven fold grace, referred to by the Catechism, is described in Isaiah 11:1-3, where it mentions wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and Piety and the fear of the Lord. The seven fold grace of the Spirit, mentioned in Isaiah, are simply God empowering faithful Christians to do what He has called us to do. The Catholic Church list them as:

• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Counsel
• Fortitude
• Knowledge
• Piety -Godliness
• Fear of the Lord

What is the seven fold grace of the Holy Ghost? And what are they used for in our Christian life?

The seven fold grace of the Holy Spirit that, initially, are magnified in us at our confirmation and are unique skills and abilities given by the Holy Spirit to faithful followers of Christ to serve God for the common benefit of his people, the Church. And for reaching others, out side of the Church, for Christ. The seven fold grace, referred to by the Catechism, is described in Isaiah 11:1-3, where it mentions wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and Piety and the fear of the Lord. The seven fold grace of the Spirit, mentioned in Isaiah, are simply God empowering faithful Christians to do what He has called us to do. The Catholic Church list them as:

• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Counsel
• Fortitude
• Knowledge
• Piety -Godliness
• Fear of the Lord

The Catechism Of The Council Of Trent says, To begin with the name (Confirmation), it should be taught that this Sacrament is called by the Church Confirmation because, if there is no obstacle to the efficacy of the Sacrament, a baptized person, when anointed with the sacred chrism by the Bishop...becomes stronger with the strength of a new power, and thus begins to be a perfect soldier of Christ.

There are many people who insist that infant baptism is not baptism at all. This is because they have a different understanding of baptism. In their view, baptism is principally a testimony given by the person baptized, first in word and then symbolically in water. Since an infant cannot give a testimony, a genuine infant baptism is an impossibility.

Some people are convinced that Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Biblical Sabbath. Others believe that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is the Sabbath.

So which day is it?